Reimagining Messaging in the Generative AI Era, Former ExactTarget Executive Starts Backstroke
June 20 2024 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
The generative AI messaging platform is announcing its launch
and recent funding led by High Alpha
Backstroke is announcing the launch of its generative AI
messaging platform that’s set to revolutionize email, SMS, mobile
push, and customer marketing for B2C brands. Backed by a $2M seed
round co-led by venture firms High Alpha and Ground Game Ventures,
and with participation from Allos Ventures. Backstroke combines
fresh technology with seasoned experience, presenting a significant
opportunity in the marketing tech landscape.
Backstroke leverages a vast dataset from over 10,000 brands,
tracking and tagging millions of messages – and their performance –
in more than 200 different ways. This deep data analysis, which has
taken nearly three years to acquire, powers Backstroke's AI to
generate marketing content that drives up to 64% more revenue per
send than human copywriters. Early customers include ecommerce
brands like Pearl iZUMi, Nathan Sports, Lyssé and The Porch Swing
Company.
The company is led by CEO and Founder R. J. Talyor and Lead Data
Scientist and Founder Allyson Talyor, Ph.D., a husband and wife
duo. Before starting Backstroke, R. J. Talyor was one of the first
50 employees at email marketing trailblazer ExactTarget, where he
led messaging product teams through the company’s $2.5B acquisition
by Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) in 2012. R. J. later founded Pattern89, a
creative AI platform that was acquired by Shutterstock, Inc. (NYSE:
SSTK) in 2021.
"We've seen the movie before with ExactTarget, and now we're
ready to rewrite the script with generative AI," said R. J. Talyor,
Backstroke CEO and Founder. "Legacy marketing tech is behind — it's
too complex and not built for mass personalization. The industry
incumbents are ‘Frankensteining’ gen AI features into their
platforms. Backstroke is native to these new AI technologies which
gives our customers a significant advantage.”
"Generative AI presents a huge opportunity in the email
marketing and messaging space," said High Alpha Founding Partner
Eric Tobias. "The company’s speed to market and quick customer
traction demonstrate that a platform like Backstroke is inevitable.
Someone is going to win, and we think our long history in the
space, combined with a world-class founding team, gives us a
significant advantage."
Doug Bertram, Director of E-Commerce at Pearl iZUMi and one of
Backstroke’s first customers said, “The bottleneck to truly
personalized CRM marketing has always been human limitations on
content production. Partnering with Backstroke is a huge step
forward in automation, allowing us to deliver more delightful,
personalized experiences to our customers.”
Backstroke’s launch event, featuring eight-time Olympic swimming
gold medalist Matt Biondi, will take place on June 21, 2024, from 8
a.m. to 10 a.m. in Indianapolis.
About Backstroke:
Backstroke is a leading generative AI messaging platform
designed for B2C brands and retailers. Founded by husband and wife
team R. J. Talyor and Allyson Talyor, Ph.D. in 2024, Backstroke
utilizes a vast dataset and advanced algorithms to generate
high-performing marketing content for email, SMS, and mobile push.
With former ExactTarget executives at the helm and support from
High Alpha, Backstroke is poised to drive significant value for
brands through personalized, effective campaigns.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240620736105/en/
For more information or to schedule an interview with the
Backstroke team, investors, or customers, please contact: Egan
Montgomery Co-founder & VP of Marketing Backstroke Email:
egan@backstroke.com Phone: +1 (630) 335-5885